Greg Sestero | |
---|---|
Born | Walnut Creek, California, U.S. |
Education | Monte Vista High School |
Occupation(s) | Actor, model, author, filmmaker |
Years active | 1997–present |
Notable work |
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Greg Sestero (born July 15, 1978) [1] is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room , as well as for his well-received memoir The Disaster Artist , detailing his experiences making The Room, which itself was later adapted into a 2017 film.
He also appeared in a minor role as James in the 2020 Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Bly Manor .
Sestero was born in Walnut Creek, California. His mother is of French and Italian (Sicilian) descent. [2] [ page needed ] He was raised in Danville, California, where he attended Monte Vista High School. [3]
Sestero has said that he wrote a sequel to the then-recently released Home Alone at the age of 12, titled Home Alone 2: Lost in Disney World , which included a leading role for himself alongside Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister. [2] [ page needed ] He submitted the screenplay, along with a provisional poster, soundtrack suggestions and a request for a cross-promotional deal between 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Pictures, to Hughes Entertainment, and eventually received a commendatory letter from John Hughes. Sestero credits Hughes' gesture with inspiring him to pursue a professional acting career. [2] [ page needed ] [4]
During his junior year of high school, Sestero began modeling, working in Milan and Paris for designers such as Giorgio Armani and Gianfranco Ferré. He returned to the United States to focus on acting, enrolling in the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. His signing with Hollywood agent Iris Burton prompted his eventual move to Los Angeles. [2] [ page needed ]
Sestero's early acting work included minor roles in the television show Nash Bridges and the films Gattaca (1997) and Patch Adams (1998). In 1999, Sestero was cast as the lead in the horror movie Retro Puppet Master . He followed this with a one-episode role on the television soap opera Days of Our Lives . [5]
Sestero's best known role to date is as Mark, the best friend to Tommy Wiseau's character Johnny, in the 2003 cult film The Room . Sestero met Wiseau at an acting class in 1998 held by Jean Shelton. [2] [ page needed ] Wiseau told Sestero that if he was able to raise the funds to make the film, he would hire him as his co-star; Sestero arrived on set, only agreeing to work behind the scenes and help Wiseau with auditions and casting. However, Wiseau wanted the original actor cast as Mark out of the film, and formulated an elaborate plan to replace him with Sestero. [2] [ page needed ]
Sestero has said that he made the film assuming no one would see it and that it would go direct to video. [4] [6] The film was immediately lambasted by critics and fared very poorly at the box office. In Sestero's book, The Disaster Artist , he revealed that Wiseau had sent a copy of the film to Paramount Pictures to gain wide distribution and was denied by the studio within 24 hours (the typical response time is two weeks). [2] : 209–210
Ross Morin, an assistant professor of film studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, called it "the Citizen Kane of bad movies", [2] [ page needed ] and Entertainment Weekly referred to Wiseau as "the Orson Welles of crap". [7] Despite the poor showing, Sestero remained humorous and usually deflected much of the criticism of the film. [8] [9]
The film quickly began to receive attention from audience members because of its poor production values rather than in spite of them; it soon became a "cult classic" with late-night showings at theaters around the United States. Audience members typically arrive wearing wigs resembling their favorite characters, interact with the dialogue on screen, and throw plastic cutlery and footballs around the theater. [2] [ page needed ]
This attention grew into what was dubbed The Room's 2010–2011 "Love is Blind" International Tour, and the film was screened in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Australia, France, and India, among other locations. Sestero appeared at many of these events, posing for photographs with fans and often addressing them before the screenings. [10]
Sestero will appear in a remake of The Room that will be released digitally at an unspecified date; originally, it was set for 2023, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original’s release.
In June 2011, it was announced that Sestero had signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to write a book based on his experiences making The Room with Tommy Wiseau. The book, titled The Disaster Artist , was released in October 2013. [11] [12] [13]
On November 23, 2014, The Disaster Artist won Best Non-Fiction at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The judges praised the book, stating "The Disaster Artist is not only a hell of a good read, it will make a great film if ever adapted. It's equal parts Ed Wood , American Hustle and demented Citizen Kane —with a dash of Monty Python thrown into the mix." [14] On February 11, 2015, The Disaster Artist audiobook, narrated by Sestero, was nominated for Best Humor Audiobook at the 2015 Audie Awards. [15]
In 2014, Seth Rogen's production company, Point Grey Pictures, acquired the rights to a film adaptation of Sestero's book. In the film, also titled The Disaster Artist , Dave Franco played Sestero, [16] and James Franco starred as Wiseau and directed, [17] for which he won a Golden Globe. Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber wrote the script. [18] New Line Cinema produced the film, and distribution rights were later acquired by A24. [19] Shooting began on December 8, 2015. [20] The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017 [21] and began a wide theatrical release on December 8, 2017.
In December 2017, The Disaster Artist made its debut on the New York Times Bestseller List for Paperback Nonfiction. [22]
In 2006, Sestero appeared in the television series Fashion House and had an uncredited role in Accepted . In 2010, he appeared in Miranda Lambert's music video "White Liar," which won the Country Music Television and the Academy of Country Music award for best video and song of the year; the video was also nominated for best video at the 2010 Country Music Association awards. Later that year, Sestero was featured in the 5-Second Film End Zone, directed by Michael Rousselet, one of The Room's original fans who helped propel the film to cult status. [2] [ page needed ] [7] [23]
Sestero starred with comedians Jason Saenz, Nick Turner, and Travis Irvine for a sketch comedy video in which Sestero turned into the "new" Jason Saenz via jaw surgery. [24] The July 2010 edition of Diablo magazine labeled Sestero as one of the "Best of the East Bay Stars and Standouts." [25]
In July 2011, Sestero teamed with comedian Patton Oswalt in You Got Mail, a 5-Second Film that features Oswalt as a mailman and Sestero waiting for his suspicious delivery. [26]
On November 12, 2013, Sestero made a cameo appearance on an episode of the Nostalgia Critic internet review show, which had previously reviewed The Room, reprising his role of Mark. [27] Sestero continues to model and has appeared in ads for Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, and Ralph Lauren, among others. [8]
Sestero costarred in Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015) from the creators of 5 Second Films. The film also stars Patton Oswalt and Andrew W.K. The film premiered at Los Angeles Film Festival on June 13, 2015. [28]
Sestero teamed up with Wiseau again for the film Best F(r)iends (2018), written by Sestero, inspired by a road trip he took with Wiseau in 2003. [29]
He collaborated with Wiseau for a third time on Big Shark , [30] which had its world premiere on April 2, 2023 at Cinema 21 in Portland, Oregon. [31]
In October 2020, Sestero guest-starred as Jack, the fiancé in The Haunting of Bly Manor , the follow-up to Netflix's successful Haunting of Hill House . [32] In 2020, he also starred in the horror comedy film Cyst, which premiered at FrightFest in 2020. He also wrote, directed, and starred in a cultist-themed horror film in early 2020, and in October 2020 said he was writing a UFO film in which he would star alongside Wiseau. [33]
Sestero's directorial debut, Miracle Valley, premiered at Salem Horror Film Festival in October 2022. The film is about an obsessive photographer and his girlfriend who are invited to a desert getaway in search of an ultra-rare bird. There, their relationship is soon threatened by a sinister force, causing them to face demons from the past, present, and future. [34]
Sestero lives in Southern California. [8]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Gattaca | Gattacan Citizen | Uncredited [35] |
1998 | Patch Adams | Jaime | Uncredited [36] |
1999 | Retro Puppet Master | Young André Toulon | |
EDtv | Roach | Uncredited [35] | |
2003 | The Room | Mark | Also line producer and Assistant to Mr. Wiseau |
2004 | Homeless in America | Himself | Documentary Also executive producer and line producer |
2006 | Accepted | Frat Guy | Uncredited [35] |
2009 | Alien Presence | Ash | |
The Pit and the Pendulum | Alicia's Boyfriend | ||
2015 | Dude Bro Party Massacre III | Derek | |
2017 | The Disaster Artist | Casting Agent | Cameo [37] |
Best F(r)iends | Jon Kortina | Also writer and producer | |
2019 | Lukewarm Christian | Himself | Cameo [38] |
2020 | Cyst | Bill | |
2022 | Miracle Valley | David | Also writer and director [33] |
Infrared | Geoff | ||
TBA | The Room Returns! | Chris-R | Remake of the 2003 film [39] |
TBA | Forbidden Sky | [33] | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Days of Our Lives | Jules | 1 episode |
2006 | Fashion House | Model | 2 episodes |
2013 | The Blessed Ignorance of Men | Fr. Mark | Pilot |
2020 | The Haunting of Bly Manor | James | 2 episodes |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | How Did This Get Made? | Himself | Episode: "The Room: Director's Edition" [40] |
2013; 2018–2019 | Nostalgia Critic | Mark, Himself, Tommy Wiseau | Episode: "Dawn of the Commercials", "The Most HATED Nutcracker Movie Ever Made", "Best F(r)iends" |
2014 | Shut Up and Talk | Himself | Talk show |
2018 | Nerdist Presents | Batman | "Tommy Wiseau's The Dark Knight" [41] |
2019 | Rhonda: The Birth of a Queen | Himself | Cameo [42] |
SpaceWorld | Drogol (voice) | ||
James Edward Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), Milk (2008), Eat Pray Love (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). He has collaborated with fellow actor Seth Rogen on multiple projects, including Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013), Sausage Party (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Franco's performance in 127 Hours (2010) earned a Best Actor nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards.
Thomas Pierre Wiseau is a Polish-American actor and filmmaker. He is best-known for writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2003 film The Room, which has been described by many critics as one of the worst films ever made and has gained cult status. He also co-directed the 2004 documentary Homeless in America and created the 2015 sitcom The Neighbors.
The Room is a 2003 American independent romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. Set in San Francisco, the film is centered around a melodramatic love triangle between amiable banker Johnny (Wiseau), his deceptive fiancée Lisa (Danielle), and his conflicted best friend Mark (Sestero). The work was reportedly intended to be semi-autobiographical in nature. According to Wiseau, the title alludes to the potential of a room to be the site of both good and bad events. The stage play from which the film is derived was so named due to its events taking place entirely in a single room.
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Sonny is a 2002 American crime drama film starring James Franco, Harry Dean Stanton, Brenda Blethyn, Mena Suvari and Josie Davis. Based on a screenplay by John Carlen, the film marked the directorial debut of Nicolas Cage, who makes a cameo appearance. It was co-produced by Cage's production company Saturn Films.
David John Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. He began his career with small roles in films such as Superbad (2007) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). Following a starring role in the final season of the comedy series Scrubs (2009–2010), Franco had his film breakthrough with a supporting role in the buddy comedy film 21 Jump Street (2012).
Juliette Danielle Worden is an American actress best known for portraying Lisa, the love interest of Johnny in the 2003 film The Room.
The Room Tribute is a point-and-click adventure game released on September 3, 2010, that serves as an unofficial adaptation of the 2003 film The Room directed by Tommy Wiseau. It was programmed by Newgrounds founder Tom Fulp, with artwork by Newgrounds staff member Jeff "JohnnyUtah" Bandelin, and music by animator Chris "OneyNG" O'Neill. The game was designed in the style of 16-bit graphics, much like similar games based on the films Tremors and The Hunger Games for Newgrounds' own 2010 and 2012 April Fools jokes.
James Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. He began acting on television, guest-starring in Pacific Blue (1997). He landed his breakthrough role in the comedy-drama television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). After his film debut in Never Been Kissed (1999), Franco won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award in the same categories for playing the eponymous actor in the 2001 television biopic James Dean. He went on to play Harry Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), and reprised the role in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). For the last of the three, he garnered a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. His only screen appearance of 2003 was in the ballet film The Company. Franco directed and starred in the comedy The Ape (2005).
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made is a 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell, in which the former details the troubled development and production of the panned 2003 cult romantic drama The Room, his own struggles as a young actor, and his relationship with The Room director Tommy Wiseau.
The Neighbors is a sitcom created, written, directed, produced by and starring Tommy Wiseau. In Wiseau's first project since his 2003 cult film The Room, The Neighbors follows the assorted tenants of an apartment building and their interactions with the "manager", Charlie, played by Wiseau. Four episodes were released on Hulu on March 14, 2015. Two additional episodes were released on May 26, 2015.
The Disaster Artist is a 2017 American biographical comedy-drama film starring, co-produced and directed by James Franco. It was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's 2013 non-fiction book. The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between aspiring actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau's 2003 film The Room, widely considered one of the worst films ever made. The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively, alongside a supporting cast featuring Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver, and Seth Rogen.
Best F(r)iends is a 2017 American dark comedy thriller film starring Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero. Written and produced by Sestero in two parts, it marks the reunion of Wiseau and Sestero 15 years after making the cult classic film The Room. The plot follows a homeless drifter in Los Angeles who begins working at a morgue, only to realize his boss is hiding a mysterious past.
Dude Bro Party Massacre III is a 2015 American slasher film created by the comedy troupe 5-Second Films. It was directed by Jon Salmon, Michael Rousselet, and Tomm Jacobsen. Despite the title, it is not a sequel, and there are no previous installments. Presented as a lost film that was banned in the 1980s, it tells the story of a masked killer known as Motherface, who targets fraternity brothers.
Daniel Armen Janjigian is an Armenian-American former bobsledder, former actor, and political candidate. He competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics, representing Armenia. He earned 33rd place in the two-man bobsleigh event with Yorgo Alexandrou. As an actor, he portrayed Chris-R in the 2003 cult film The Room. He ran as a candidate for Texas's 31st congressional district in the 2020 elections.
Big Shark is a 2023 American comedy horror action film written, directed and produced by Tommy Wiseau, and starring Wiseau, Isaiah LaBorde and Mark Valeriano as three firefighters who must save New Orleans from a killer shark.
Room Full of Spoons is a 2016 Canadian documentary film directed by Rick Harper about the 2003 cult film The Room.
The Room Returns! is an upcoming American romantic drama film produced and directed by Brando Crawford. Starring Bob Odenkirk, Bella Heathcote, Greg Sestero, Kate Siegel, and horror film director Mike Flanagan, the film is a remake of Tommy Wiseau's The Room (2003).
Miracle Valley is a 2021 horror film written, directed, and produced by Greg Sestero.